The benefits of working with layers

When you first start using Painter, one of the common things that happens and it's just part…of the beginning elementary steps that one takes.…You'll find that you generally are painting on the canvas.…There is nothing wrong with that, however Painter does have layers and you can paint on layers.…So once you understand the concept of layers and start using them, you'll never go back,…because you can use it as what I call a safety net.…When you start working in a layered painting environment, you'll find that an element that needs to be changed,…that's on an independent layer, doesn't means starting over again.…

You can just go back to that layer and either move it or repaint to that element, but Layer Painting is an advanced forward…in your production and work flow that enables you to have a correctibility built in to an image…and in the next few movies here, I am going to go through some of the just basic concepts that revolve…around using layers as a way to build up a painting.…To start, I am going to show just some of the basic understanding of how you can control layers.…

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5/2/2008

Expressive brushes. This is instructor John Derry's two-word answer as to why Painter is such an effective tool. When used with a Wacom tablet, Painter can elevate digital mark-making to a form of creative self-expression. Combining the aesthetics of traditional media with the freedom to experiment, Painter X Essential Training not only delves into each tool, palette, material, and brush, it also speaks to the artistic concepts of simplicity, stroke, proportion, and perspective. Exercise files accompany the course.

Download John's instructions for alphabetizing your brushes and his troubleshooting checklist for brushes from the Exercise Files tab."

Topics include:

Understanding and customizing a Wacom tablet
Creating brushes
Painting with compositional aids
Working with layers
Cloning and using effects
Using Painter and Photoshop effectively